Evaluation of instrumentation for measuring aerial ammonia in poultry houses

The study objective was identification of affordable instrumentation capable of continuous nd-reliable ammonia sampling in a unit that remained calibrated for unattended remote operation during field trials. An electrochemical unit was successful at a reasonable cost for :research or, demonstration projects, A secondary objective was evaluation of lower cost alternatives for field professional use. Pull tubes and passive dosimeter tubes were compared to the electrochemical sensor performance under three test sites/situations: three commercial high-rise layer houses; three; environmental control chambers; and a laboratory. Both hand-held instruments provided-an indication of ammonia level, but accuracy was questionable in the relatively dirty and low ammonia level environment found in the commercial poultry houses. All three sensor types:performed accurately in the relatively clean laboratory setting with 50-ppm ammonia calibration gas.